


The Marks of a Mate

by QuillMind



Category: Drifters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Claiming Bites, F/M, Fantasy, Fluff, Other, Outdoor Sex, Reader-Insert, Rough Sex, Smut, Talking Animals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-06 03:27:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8732971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuillMind/pseuds/QuillMind
Summary: From one chaotic scenario to another, the Drifter Naoshi Kanno found himself alone in a bizarre new world until he met you.  It would become easy enough to acknowledge that he liked you, but was it anything more than that, or just a sense of security in being near something familiar?





	

**Author's Note:**

> I chose to call the dog tribe "canids," because "dog people" over and over felt silly. Who knows what the translated name for them will be.

Naoshi knew that he should consider himself lucky for running into you.  One minute he was shooting down enemy planes, the next he was flying alongside goddamn dragons and had crash-landed into a tribe of dog people.  And not a single motherfucking person who knows how to speak Japanese! 

Without any fuel or ammunition, his plane was useless, but it was a part of him, goddamn it--leaving it behind would feel like chopping his arm off.  And though he understood virtually none of what those mutts were saying, it soon became obvious that they worshipped him as some sort of sky god that had descended from the heavens. 

Sure, why the fuck not? 

It was a testament to Naoshi's sheer will and tenacity that he could actually become the ruler over an entire tribe of people(?), despite being outnumbered and having no weapons to fight with beyond a pistol and tanto dagger.  Even in the face of dragons, fire-wielding killers or a weird race of animal-humanoid hybrids, the pilot didn't become a gaping idiot like others would.  None of it made sense to him, but it didn't have to--shit that didn't make sense wasn't a threat once you kicked its ass, after all. 

Though he was sure that the canids would probably not take too kindly if they ever found out that as a child he'd once taken on a vicious dog in a fight and killed it with a knife... 

But then you had appeared, dragged in by the canids after being found wandering the forest all alone.  You managed to be quick on the draw in deducing his hatred of Americans and the Allied Powers in general, and had said you were originally from Switzerland.  Not having much reference for what was Swiss and what wasn't, Naoshi accepted your claim.  When you had introduced yourself while speaking Japanese, however, his face had lit up like an overjoyed child's.  That you had some of the Octobrists' linguist charms with you, allowing you and Naoshi to converse properly with the canids was a secondary concern at best. 

You were not that much more acquainted with the facts, as you had been abruptly separated from Abe no Seimei and the others when escaping from the Ends a few days back.  But you told Naoshi what you knew of the situation, for which he was appreciative and thanked you sincerely--in his own profanity-laden way. 

Ever since you had arrived, Naoshi was in much better spirits.  It didn't tame his foul mouth or acerbic nature per se, but there was more that he understood now, so there was maybe 5% less reason for him to go off on a furious tangent of curses and ass-kicking threats. 

While it was clear that you had no special powers nor a seemingly magical vehicle, your association with Naoshi made the canids assume that you were also a part of the sky god's retinue--his consort, perhaps--which was met with staunch denials from yourself.  You declined that you were anything divine, and insisted that the canids not treat you as anything but an equal, ironically speaking with such confidence and authority that it only reinforced their belief that you were indeed someone to take orders from. 

The Orte Empire's subjugation of all demihuman races made you sympathize with the canids greatly, and you were determined to help them to win their freedom.  Out of curiosity, when Naoshi asked what did you actually think you could do, considering you weren't a fighter of any kind, you had sharply retorted that that didn't matter; you were here now, and you would make the best of it.  There was a second or two of silence, then Naoshi gave a crooked grin and energetically agreed with you. 

He had almost made you jump out of your skin by showing up out of nowhere one night, and as you recovered from the surprise and demanded to know what he wanted, he gave you another shock by flat-out saying that he liked you.  No ceremony, no buildup or romance, just that simple statement. 

You had shivered from the night chill, but also from the exhilaration of what he had said, prompting him to yank off his scarf and loop it around your neck.  Since then it has stayed there. 

But Naoshi hadn't done anything else to you since then, either.  You still spoke regularly--it was impossible to avoid living with the dog people, after all--but there was a strange discomfort between you two, originating from him but infecting you as well. 

Had he just been joking?  Did he mean he only liked you as a friend?  If either of those was true, then you making the first move didn't seem like an option, though you didn't think it was anyway, since women from Naoshi's era and culture would have rarely made the first move. 

The truth was, Naoshi had wanted to find a good woman to make a peaceful life with for quite some time.  He had even mentioned it to his comrades in the 343rd Air Group, and to send any possible candidates his way.  But even though he did meet many girls, he found himself unwilling to commit a lifetime promise to any of them.  His destiny, along with everyone else's in the military, was ambiguous; at any given moment, he could be given the order to leave on a mission from which he would never return.  To get himself a wife only to turn her into a widow felt totally unacceptable, and so he remained conflicted about relationships. 

But everything has its limits.

Weeks had gone by.  Following a successful battle against an Orte infantry unit, the canids were celebrating, tearing into hunks of meat they had gotten from their earlier hunt and making rowdy conversations around the bonfire.  You were sitting with the rest of them, enthralled by hearing the many stories of the tribe's adventures, eating far smaller pieces of food than your canine comrades along with some local berries that you had come to like. 

One young warrior, a pup, really, was especially enthusiastic about regaling to you an epic of their battle with the felids, practically bouncing on his feet with big, wide eyes as he made grand gestures and adjusted his tone and cadence appropriately to maximize the impact of his storytelling.  He had ended his performance with a bow and on one knee, and you had been so charmed by his showmanship that you temporarily forgot that this was a humanoid, and reached out to pat his head and scratch him behind the ears.  The pup's eyes went round for only a second before they closed, and his head rolled into your hand contentedly while his tail wagged.  You blinked at this sudden behaviour, but didn't think much of it and continued to scratch at his fur, until you realized that the area had fallen silent, and the canids were all staring at you with open mouths. 

The warriors closest to you barked at the pup, snapping him out of his pleasurable trance and yanking him out of the circle.  One older dog dragged the pup away to admonish him, with the latter's eyes pinned down and shoulders sagging. 

Clearly you had done something wrong.  Not wanting to offend, you asked the warriors what the problem was. 

One of the older dogs, a grey and white warrior, grumbled before answering.  "For us, when a female touches a male in such a way, it means she desires to become his mate." 

Your jaw fell open and you gave a nod as if in slow motion.  "Ohhhhh...kay."  Biting your lip, you suddenly felt supremely self-conscious.  "But... I'm a human being," you said awkwardly, like a robot or alien that was trying to pretend.  You may have breached their etiquette, but surely you got a pass since you were unfamiliar with their ways?

When the warrior didn't respond, you were seized with the feeling of being suffocated.  "I'm sorry," you blurted out before leaping to your feet and running off.  You didn't have a destination in mind, you just wanted to get away and find somewhere safe. 

Before you knew it, you were standing in front of Naoshi's jet. 

Panting, you clambered over the moss-riddled ruins that surrounded the fallen craft and jumped onto the wing.  There was some odd comfort gained from hearing the faint creaking of metal as you walked over to sit on the fuselage beside the cockpit.  The Japanese flags strung above the plane fluttered in the breeze, and there was still the distant sound of the canids' celebration.  Your white scarf waved around your neck gently, tickling the back of your neck. 

Feeling foolish, you pulled your knees up to your chest and stared at your shoes. 

"The fuck are you doing there?" 

You snapped your head back to see Naoshi on the ground with his arms crossed.  He looked annoyed. 

"I just... I just wanted to be alone for a bit," you said. 

Naoshi swiftly climbed up the old stones the same way you had, striding across the wing to stand before you.  "That so?" 

Pushing off of the fuselage, you got up and placed your hands on your hips, avoiding eye contact.  "I made a mistake.  I, uh... scratched one of the warriors behind the ears, and apparently that means I want to be his mate.  But I didn't know about that!  And I'm a human, so you'd think the rules wouldn't apply, but--" 

The scent of cigarette smoke, sweat and metal filled your nose as Naoshi yanked you into his arms and held your head against his chest.  For several seconds, you forgot to breathe, then gasped as the sound of Naoshi's quick heartbeat registered in your ears. 

"Sorry," he grunted, in a tone that was astoundingly softer than the normal gruff, gravelly way he spoke.  You nearly wondered if you were hearing someone else's voice.  The leather of his jacket groaned as he tightened his grip. 

"About... about what?" 

Naoshi didn't say anything, until you slowly brought your arms up to squeeze him back. 

"The mutts thought it was weird that you were touching that stupid little shit 'cause you're already spoken for.  And getting too friendly with the Sky God's woman is just asking for an ass-kicking." 

As fast as Naoshi's heart was going, it couldn't possibly match the pace of yours, which was beating like machinegun fire. 

His gloved hands held your shoulders and pulled you back so that he was staring into your eyes.  "I thought I was being clear, but guess not."  He absently noted his scarf, still around your neck. 

"At first I thought it was just 'cause you speak Japanese.  That maybe I just find you safe and familiar in a world where not another goddamn fucking thing is.  But I ain't satisfied with just 'safe.'  You've got strength and spirit without being a soldier or fighter.  It has to be you.  I fucking love you.  A whole goddamn lot.  I want you with me." 

The corner of his mouth was curled up in a menacing snarl, but it was merely habit, you knew.  His words came straight from the heart and pierced deep into yours, as unstoppable as the gales that his plane flew with.  Your chest hurt, felt close to bursting, your bottom lip quivered and warmth was blooming from deep within while your brain felt as orderly as the inside of a pachinko parlour.  All of this happening at once was scary, but also wonderful. 

You realized your reply was due. 

"The..."  You tripped over your words, still struggling to make sure that this was real.  "The last three things you said... They go the same for me, too." 

Okay, that was lame, but it gave you the chance to compose something more worthy of this situation, more worthy of him.  "I want to stay by the Sky God's side." 

_Better, but keep going._   "I'm always thinking about you.  I adore you." 

_Seal the deal._   You leaned in and kissed him. 

There was a bit of stiffening on Naoshi's part; he hadn't expected you to do this.  But the feel of your mouth on his overrode any trepidation, and he kissed you back with a growing intensity.  With the mutual confirmation of your feelings, some of the tension between you was cut down, only to ramp up again in a different form, more wild and hungry.  When you separated, both of you were breathing hard. 

"C'mere," he said, pulling you by the hand.  He hopped into the cockpit and took his place in the pilot's seat, guiding you down to straddle his lap.  There was a pause, then he kissed you again, this time his hands wandering over your back, your waist, your hips.  Your fingers dove under his aviator's cape, into the mess of his hair.  Naoshi's tongue probed the inside of your mouth, and you made a noise that caused him to growl in the back of his throat. 

Maybe he had been spending too much time with those damn dogs, he thought. 

"There's another reason those mutts were being all chickenshitty around you," he said after breaking off the kiss. 

You were dizzy, and it took a moment to understand what he was talking about.  "What's that?" you asked. 

He pulled the scarf away and began to kiss and lick at your neck.  You inhaled sharply and stretched so that he could do it more. 

"They know you're mine, but my scent wasn't on you--or at least not enough of it--so they weren't sure what to think," he muttered, randomly nipping your skin while removing his gloves.

You frowned, then bucked upwards as Naoshi's hand rose to cup your breast, but he pulled you back down and you tensed upon feeling the growing hardness underneath.  "Wait, you're saying..." 

"You're in heat," Naoshi grunted lowly.  "All the mutts smell it, but I can't fucking tell."  He brought his head closer to your chest and inhaled deeply.  "Although... when I'm _this_ close, I definitely smell something good." 

You blushed in embarrassment at this information.  At least now the canids' reaction made more sense.  Come to think of it, you did recall getting the occasional odd look by other warriors over the last couple of days, and they had all seemed to share the same mix of unease and impatience.  Canines' sense of smell could be as much as ten million times stronger than that of humans', so you could only imagine how you must have come off to the canids; whenever you had less than innocent thoughts about Naoshi in the privacy of your hut at night, you may as well have been shouting your fantasies through a bullhorn. 

But you didn't have to dream alone anymore.  What you wanted was right before you. 

The stars framed your face as you looked at Naoshi.  He stared at you thirstily.

"Make me yours," you whispered hotly.  Without taking your eyes off of him, you shed all of your clothes, the desire to be seen completely being so great. 

"Shit," he uttered, before proceeding to taste and touch you everywhere. 

It had felt like forever since either of you had done this, but the reward was well worth the wait.  His hands restlessly swam over your curves, slowing to knead and squeeze the places that were soft and supple.  As foul-mouthed and belligerent and raring for a beatdown 24/7 as Naoshi was, in this instance he was considerably different.  He was very thorough in finding out the best ways to make you moan, continuing to kiss and lick your skin.  In the deep recesses of his mind, he supposed that there was something to what those dumb mutts had said--his nose was full with your scent, sweet and vaguely spicy and irresistible. 

The harness of his parachute was unfastened and his jacket and shirt were opened, but otherwise Naoshi's clothes more or less remained on him, as it was just easier that way.  No complaints from you, since you found the contrast of being naked while the other was fully clothed to be oddly exciting.  Pressing your face to his chest, you breathed in deep, enjoying the warmth of his body.  You kissed and caressed him as he had done to you, smiling at his hoarse groans. 

He brought his hand beneath your legs.  The sound of his fingers encountering hot moisture and feeling around your entrance produced a suggestive hum from you.  More than ready, you were needing.  Aching. 

_"Mighty Sky God, why haven't you mated with her?  She's gone into heat several times now."_

_"We understand that humans are different, but you two have bonded--even the whelps can tell."_

_"She is ready for you; every one of us smells it.  It's true she wears a piece of you on her neck, but don't you intend to claim her entirely?"_  

In recalling what the canids had curiously asked him, Naoshi felt his blood boil.  Knowing now that they had all known an intimate detail of your body struck him with the sudden urge to knock every single one of those ass-sniffers' teeth down their throats. 

_Fuckin' right I'm gonna claim her entirely._

Naoshi freed his cock from his pants and lifted your hips over it for just long enough to get into position before slamming you down, sheathing himself balls-deep. 

"Fuck!" he shouted. 

It was intense right from the start.  He hurled his hips up freely while shoving you down at the same time.  You waved on top of him, powered by the column that was thrusting upwards.  The cramped nature of the cockpit meant your ass kept bumping against the centre stick, which didn't go unnoticed by the pilot.  What he didn't know was how you found some indecent thrill in feeling the stimulation alongside the cleft of your behind.  Or maybe he did, judging by the smirk that had ghosted over his face before being swept away to primal lust again. 

The entire craft trembled and creaked with your harsh movements, but its noise didn't stand a chance against your moans and his guttural growls, both rising high into the air.  Maybe it was because you were so far removed from modern civilization, or the influence of being in a jungle, or the time spent with the canids, but a feral behaviour took hold of Naoshi with inescapable claws.  Not to say that he was on the particularly quiet or gentle side when it came to sex, but right now he could almost be described as downright brutal with how fast and hard he was fucking you.  The small nips he made to your neck earlier were overshadowed by the harder bites he applied, some of them followed with greedy, insistent sucking.  Nails turned to dig into your hips, pinching the flesh with crescent marks.  He captured one of your bouncing breasts in his mouth and abused the nipple with his tongue before subjecting it to his teeth.  But all you felt was carnal pleasure, as you made sure to assure him with your ardent cries. 

Naoshi cursed at how tight and wet you were.  Every time he rammed into you, the sensation of your hot channel was more overwhelming than a kick in the head.  You were a force of nature, driving him mad, reducing him to an animal that could only think of filling you with himself. 

Fine by him. 

The two of you were yelling now.  Naoshi regretted not properly taking his clothes off, for he was sweating like he was in a fucking oven.  The sound of your bodies coming together sounded like punches, with just as much power behind the impact. 

Your breathing, already an arduous task, became shallow and faster as you felt your climax gearing up.  Grabbing his arms, you squeezed with a white-knuckle grip until he met your eyes.  The way he looked at you made you feel beautiful. 

No words passed your lips, but he got what you were trying to communicate.  Within moments, your brow creased into deep grooves and your body gave the cock plunging inside it a death grip as you screamed elation.  A primal roar rang in your ears, Naoshi having orgasmed himself immediately after you.  He jerked and shook like a bomb had gone off inside of him, grabbing onto you possessively.  You didn't resist--more like you _couldn't_ , as your bones had melted. 

Not too far away, dozens of canine howls carried into the night sky. 

You panted like marathon runners.  For a second you tried to sit up, but lacking any strength, soon gave up and rested your head on Naoshi's shoulder.  The part of him that was still inside you twitched slightly, and you absently took note of the stickiness that was oozing out. 

It was a good thing you were on the pill.  What to do once you ran out was a bridge you would cross when you got to it, but for now you were both content to just rest in each other's arms. 

There was zero doubt about Naoshi's claim being on you from that point forward, but it wasn't just due to his scent.  His penchant for biting and sucking at your neck meant you would constantly be sporting at least a couple of telltale marks on your skin.  But despite your blushes and sulky complaints, you still did as Naoshi asked and didn't tie your scarf as tightly as you could have to completely hide the marks.  

Because you both knew that the truth was, you liked having them. 

**Author's Note:**

> ( ͡°ᴥ ͡° ʋ)
> 
> Ironically, no doggy style!
> 
> Writing Naoshi was hard and awkward at times. For one, because he's a more recent historical figure with photographs and all, I had a bit of a challenge separating the real person and this fictional version he was based off of. 
> 
> In real life, Naoshi Kanno seems like he was a hell of a character--like a shounen manga character made flesh. The story of him taking on an aggressive dog and killing it (at the age of 8) is something that indeed happened. He's also described as being a very cheerful, popular kid in school, though a bit of a boss/oyabun type, and even fought against some older kids when his older brother was being bullied. Yet at the same time he was an honours student, to the point that people always wondered where he found time to study amidst all that fighting. And though he had been planning to go to university at first, when the family's financial state became clear, he chose to join the military and have his beloved brother go to university instead. 
> 
> He was indeed as belligerent and irreverent as the manga depicts, made friends easily and didn't give a shit about differences in social classes; one time when he and others were being rowdy and getting drunk in crew quarters, command scolded them for being too loud, to which Kanno basically yelled back, "The hell do you think you are talking like that to men who don't even know if they'll live past tomorrow!?" In another incident, he left the base without permission to go to an onsen with some friends, and instead of getting into some serious shit from his commander, he was simply told "onsens are great; be safe out there!" (ʘᗩʘ’)
> 
> All of this info, combined with the account about his wanting to find a wife and start a family but being afraid of making a widow out of her, had me wanting to write Kanno with a properly sensitive side, and not just the shouty, swearing one that we've seen so far. 
> 
> Initially, for obvious story purposes, I wrote the reader character as not just able to understand Japanese but BEING Japanese as well, but ultimately I changed it so that it doesn't exclude as many people. 
> 
> I hope you liked it is what I'm saying!


End file.
